Exam 13: Conflict, Power, and Politics

The following statement is a correct usage of the terms power and authority. "Some secretaries are likely to have a great deal of power in the organization even though they have little authority."

Applying what you know about sources of conflict, which of the following might you conclude would happen as task interdependence moves from pooled interdependence to reciprocal interdependence?

What are the similarities and differences between power and politics in organizations?

The campus printing department was declared in university policy to be the only printer that the departments could use. They could not go off campus to have services provided, even though off-campus printers could do the work at about half the cost of the campus printer. Needless to say, the campus printing department became quite profitable, because it could bill the departments very high fees regardless of its costs. Analyze the power of the campus printing department, utilizing principles from the textbook.

Do you agree with the manager who made the following statement? "As a proponent of cooperative relationships within the organization, I believe that there is no place for the application of power and politics. They are dirty processes that set conflict in motion." Explain your position.

Which statement best describes how formal authority compares to power?

Which of the following attributes, that often generate intergroup conflict, relates to organizational departments with different outcome expectations?

During your job interview for a position in purchasing with Ideal Corporation, the interviewer poses the following question for you to answer: If the two departments of marketing and manufacturing have been experiencing considerable conflict, what explanation could you offer?

Political activity is effective only when goals and needs are made explicit so the organization can respond.

The allocation of power to middle managers and staff is dangerous because it hinders those employees from being productive.

Assume that you are called to mediate a conflict between the players and the management of the National Hockey League. The players wanted different salary caps and were turned down. Now they are about to go out on strike and neither side is talking to the other. What might you do to try to resolve this conflict so that the season is not lost as it was in 2004-05.

Which of the following is difficult to measure because power differences are NOT defined on the organizational chart?

When is confrontation as a method of reducing conflict likely to be more effective?

Fred tends to have a lot of power in his organization. He thinks it is because everyone likes him, whereas everyone else thinks it is because he is the only person who can make changes to the organization's software. What is the real basis for Fred's power?

What does the term strategic contingencies refer to?

Which of the following is a mechanism for arriving at consensus when uncertainty is high and there is disagreement over goals or problem priorities?

Putting together what you know about the sources of potential conflict and about interdependence, which of the following attributes will create the greatest potential for conflict?

Intergroup conflict requires three ingredients: group identification, observable group differences, and commitment.

Members of the marketing department have become aware that manufacturing is inflating its expense forms. If marketing decides to report manufacturing to the vice president, it will need to proceed with care. What recommendations would you give to marketing, on the basis of your reading of the chapter on power and politics?

Formal authority is exercised downward along the hierarchy and is the same as vertical power and legitimate power.